shots from once upon a time

Kelsey Cashin

Period 1

Review of camera angles used in

ABC's TV show Once Upon a Time

I chose to do this project on a show I have recently been watching called Once Upon a Time. It follows the lives of fairy tale characters as if they were living in our modern world. While the show involves alternating flashbacks from the enchanted world and the modern world, there are many different camera angles that are used. The show often conveys much drama, suspense and mystery, which is done through dramatic or creepy music, and a variety of camera angles. Special effects are frequently used as well to show "magic" which also helps keep the viewer on their toes.

As I started watching, the first thing I noticed was an arc shot. This involved the camera circling around the subjects, in this case the Evil Queen, Snow White, Prince Charming, Captain Hook, and Snow and Charming's daughter, Emma. The scene takes place in the modern world, however there is still magic involved. The characters are sitting at a round table, about to take place in some form of dark magic to try and talk to a deceased character, the Evil Queen's mother. The arc shot circles around the table, showing the different expressions of the characters. It conveys a creepy, dramatic, and mysterious mood, as we are not sure what is going to happen or how the characters are going to react. Here is a clip of the scene. I figured it was easier to take a video, as the camera shot is always changing.

In the next few clips, the camera angles switch between a high angle shot and a low angle shot. As the characters open the portal to speak to the deceased, the portal appears on the ceiling. Because the scene takes place inside, in order to get a full view of the ceiling the angle must be low, looking up towards the ceiling. This makes the portal seem enormous and makes the characters feel less significant, as the article "Different Camera Angles Create Different Emotions" states. High angle shots are also used to look down over all of the characters.  The alternating angles helps express the urgency and intensity of what is happening during the scene. Again, I found it would be easier to take a video of the switching angles, to show the mood it conveys. 

The next shot that stood out to me was a simple dolly shot. It is part of a flashback of the previous life in the enchanted world of the deceased woman whom the characters were trying to contact. Not much information is given to the viewers, as they have never seen this scene or area before. The scene starts off with a dolly shot of merchants carrying carts and ends with the same merchants walking away from the camera, but with the woman following them. This scene creates a sense of unknown and mystery, as we are not sure who these merchants are, if they're important, or why the woman is following them.